The Board of Public Utilities recognized senior Madeleine Chaffin and juniors Ella Whitehouse, Elyssa Smith, and Klaudia Blaszczyk, and their teacher, Ms. Rhonda Thomale. The students received $250, copies of their winning label, a certificate, and two cases of water featuring their label.

Ms. Thomale, their teacher, received a $50 gift certificate from an art supply store per student.

"RPU is excited to honor these talented students and their teacher," said Board of Public Utilities Chair Jo Lynne Russo-Pereyra. "We have been recognizing aspiring artists this way since 1999, so the impact on our young people has been substantial."

Held in conjunction with RPU’s annual "Splash Into Cash" fundraising and support opportunity for middle and high schools in Riverside, the contest gives high school art students a chance to create their first piece of commercial artwork. The artwork adorns bottled water given out to the schools, which use the donated water to support volunteers or activities groups, or to raise funds for sports teams, uniforms and more.

The contest is open to all public and private high school students in the City of Riverside. To date, the Utility has expended more than $370,000 in program costs and has given out almost 600,000 bottles of water to City schools.

"As a local municipal utility, RPU is deeply involved in the community," General Manager Todd Corbin said. "This program benefits talented local students and is just one of many ways that Riverside residents and business owners see a return on their investment in their local utility."